Zhuxian Town, Henan Province 1

Zhuxian Town, Kaifeng County, Henan Province is located 20 kilometers south of Kaifeng City, Henan Province. According to legend, the Warring States is the hometown of Zhu Hai, living in Xianrenzhuang, hence the name Zhuxian Town. Zhu Haiben is a butcher. Because of its bravery, it was hired as a diner by Xinlingjun. Later, he made great contributions in the battles of retreating from Qin, saving Zhao and protecting Wei. Therefore, his new reputation is also inseparable from his discovery and appointment of Zhu Hai. The heyday of Zhuxian Town was in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. At that time, the town covered an area of 25 square kilometers, with a population of more than 200,000 and more than 40,000 private merchants. There are many streets and department stores in the town. Jia Luhe divides the whole town into East Town and West Town. Dongzhen is an important street in Ming and Qing Dynasties. After Qianlong, due to the flooding of the Yellow River, the town was flooded repeatedly, and Dongzhen was low-lying, so many businessmen moved from Dongzhen to Xizhen. Zhuxian Town Woodblock New Year Pictures originated in Tang Dynasty, flourished in Song Dynasty and flourished in Ming and Qing Dynasties. It has a long history. It is one of the four woodblock New Year pictures in China. Yue Fei once defeated Jin Bing here and won a great victory in Zhuxian Town. Yue Fei once had a feat of riding a hundred thousand golden soldiers and five hundred fine horses, and Jin Wushu had to sigh, "It is easy to shake the mountain, but difficult to shake the Yue family army."

2. Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province

Jingdezhen, now Jingdezhen City, Jiangxi Province, was the first of the four major towns in the world during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and was famous for its porcelain production. Porcelain making began at the end of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, with a history of 1600 years. It is the only town among the four famous towns that didn't start with water transportation. Dr Joseph Needham, a professor at Cambridge University in England, called Jingdezhen "the earliest industrial city in the world". In the sixty-first year of Kangxi, French missionary Ang Tyko Le recorded that Jingdezhen had a population of 1 10,000 and 3,000 kilns. "Fuliang County Records" also records: "Fireworks are more than ten miles." Recorded the grand occasion of Jingdezhen in that year. In Jiaqing year, the national fiscal revenue was 4010.3 million taels, and Jingdezhen's GDP was 610.2 million taels, including 6 million taels of folk kilns, which proved Jingdezhen's economic status in the country that year. Jingdezhen has a long history and splendid culture. Located in the south of the Yangtze River, known as the "Xiongzhen in the South of the Yangtze River", it is one of the first 24 historical and cultural cities in China and a national first-class open city. From June 65438 to June 0953, the State Council approved Jingdezhen as a municipality directly under the Central Government of Jiangxi Province. Jingdezhen is a famous porcelain capital at home and abroad, with a long history of porcelain making and profound cultural heritage. In the first year of Jingdezhen in the Song Dynasty (1004), the imperial court ordered the burning of imperial porcelain here, and the bottom payment was "Jingdezhen Year System", hence the name Jingdezhen. From the Yuan Dynasty to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, emperors of all dynasties sent personnel to Jingdezhen to supervise the production of palace porcelain, set up porcelain bureaus and imperial kilns, and created countless fine ceramics, especially blue and white, pastel, exquisite and glazed porcelain. "Mao Zedong Porcelain", Shanghai "APEC" Porcelain, State Guesthouse Porcelain and various artistic ceramics are deeply loved by the world. Jingdezhen porcelain enjoys the reputation of "white as jade, thin as paper and bright as a mirror". Mr. Guo Moruo once praised Jingdezhen's splendid ceramic history and culture with the poem "China is the country of porcelain, and the peak of porcelain industry is this capital", which closely connected Jingdezhen with the world.

3. Foshan Town, Guangdong Province

Foshan Town, now Foshan City, Guangdong Province, is located in the north of the Pearl River Delta and is a famous handicraft town in the south of China. Today, it is one of the four silk weaving centers in China. Foshan, located in the hinterland of the Pearl River Delta, located in the upper reaches of Guangzhou and the lower reaches of Xijiang and Beijiang rivers, is the only way to reach the provincial capital by water. Geographically adjacent to Hong Kong and Macao, land and water transportation extend in all directions. The ancient book records: "Gem goods are exported to the north and south, Foshan is the hub, and the business is prosperous." Prosperous commerce and trade have led to the rapid development of manufacturing industry, mainly handicrafts. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Foshan, Hankou Town in Hubei, Jingdezhen Town in Jiangxi and Zhuxian Town in Henan had become "the four famous towns in China". It has gradually developed into a commodity distribution center and a manufacturing center for metallurgy, ceramics, textiles and Chinese patent medicines in Lingnan area. Even with Beijing, Hankou and Suzhou, it is also called "the four major gatherings in the world". Prosperous commercial activities and prosperous handicraft manufacturing industry have given birth to the rapid development of Chinese medicine.

4. Hankou Town, Hubei Province

Hankou, Wuhan City, Hubei Province, is named after the mouth of the Han River. The development of Hankou began after the diversion of Hanshui River in Ming Dynasty, and it was mainly developed into docks and commercial towns by using the water transport of the Yangtze River and Hanjiang River. In ancient times, it was known as the thoroughfare of nine provinces. After the development of railway transportation, it will be transported by land and water. Because it is located in the middle of the north and south of China, it is convenient to contact other provinces and cities. In the late Qing Dynasty, Hankou was turned into a trading port according to the unequal treaties concluded between the Qing government and foreign governments. The development of Hankou has entered a new era. Foreigners invested heavily here, and five countries reopened their concessions. From upstream to downstream, it is: Hankou British Concession, Hankou Russian Concession, Hankou French Concession, Hankou German Concession and Hankou Japanese Concession. Bankrupt farmers around flooded into Hankou on a large scale. By the beginning of the 20th century, Hankou had become a large-scale city, known as "Chicago of the East".

There is also a saying that the four famous towns refer to: 1, Zhuxian Town, Henan Province; 2. Foshan Town, Guangdong Province; 3. Jingdezhen, Jiangxi; 4. Qiao Feng Town, Jiangsu Province